In 1987, Democrats’ opposition to President Reagan’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Robert Bork, was so intense that it became a verb. Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines “Bork” as “to attack or defeat (a nominee or candidate for public office) unfairly through an organized campaign of harsh public criticism or vilification.”

Today, Democrats’ relatively restrained opposition to Judge Kavanaugh does not reflect their conclusion that Borking is inappropriate behavior. Instead, it likely reflects a mathematical calculation that Borking Kavanaugh would be fruitless. After all, if you’re going to storm the castle, you need sufficient manpower to at least give you a fighting chance to win.

Borking’s reduced appeal is traceable to the Democratic Senate’s 2013 decision to invoke the “nuclear option,” which eliminated the filibuster for any presidential nomination except the Supreme Court. The net effect was that nominees need only a simple majority of the Senate to be confirmed rather than 60 votes. Then-President Obama praised the move because it facilitated confirmation of controversial executive branch and judicial nominees, including several judges for the powerful D.C. Circuit.

Judge Kavanaugh’s fate will be similar to Gorsuch’s. Now that the filibuster is gone for Supreme Court nominees, presidents will be emboldened to nominate individuals with strong, clearly defined judicial philosophies. They no longer need to search high and low for that rare lawyer who has risen to the top of his profession while meticulously avoiding taking positions on controversial constitutional issues. And opposition to future Supreme Court nominees will be less vitriolic unless there is sufficient defection within the majority party to risk reaching the majority threshold. Getting to 51, in other words, is substantially easier than getting to 60. Consequently, there will be fewer instances in which Borking will be worth the money and effort.

Another potential benefit of dispensing with Supreme Court filibusters is increased candor.

Under Rule 2.10 of the Aeropostale Shorts Denim Boutique Aeropostale Boutique Denim qaw6HXt, judges should not make any public statement that “might reasonably be expected to affect the outcome or impair the fairness of a matter pending or impending in any court.” Similarly, Canon 5A(3)(d) of the Model Code states that judges and judicial candidates should not “make pledges, promises or commitments that are inconsistent with the impartial performance” of the office. But these rules do not mean that nominees should evade questions about their general judicial philosophy or approach to constitutional interpretation.

Nominees should not frustrate the Senate’s obligation to provide advice and consent by invoking the “Ginsburg Rule,” named for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who blithely told the Senate during her confirmation hearing that she would provide “no hints, no forecasts, no previews” on any issues that might come before the court. Under the Ginsburg Rule, therefore, discussion about the Constitution is off the table. Unfortunately, such broad-brush evasion has become commonplace.

Now that only 51 votes are needed for confirmation, however, Supreme Court nominees should feel more freedom to share their views, and Senate Judiciary hearings consequently may become more substantive and enlightening. This is as it should be. Federal judges are appointed for life and removable only by impeachment. Senate confirmation is the only moment when We the People, through our elected representatives, have an opportunity to illuminate nominees’ positions on issues affecting our daily lives and the trajectory of our country.